


oh, but look how he's grown without your love

by 530_and_some_fandoms



Series: oh, but look what you've done to your only son [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula's mentioned, Episode: s03e01 The Awakening, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), I literally hate him so much, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Post-Canon, Worst Father of 100 AG Award goes to Ozai, Zuko (Avatar) Needs Therapy, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko goes to visit Ozai in prison, and every year to be honest, do I love it?, is it overdone?, it's kinda backseat, probably, she gets a sort of redemption tho, she's not really in here sorry, that tag basically describes this series tbh, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29417826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/530_and_some_fandoms/pseuds/530_and_some_fandoms
Summary: "His fire was gone. It was quiet. It was cold. The sun would rise and set; he would not feel either. So he would live, so he would die.Love was for fools, but Ozai had always loved his fire.The period of mourning had long passed when his foolish son visited him for a second time, nearly two years after he was imprisoned."
Relationships: Ozai & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: oh, but look what you've done to your only son [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155800
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	oh, but look how he's grown without your love

**Author's Note:**

> Final work in this series! Could be read as a stand-alone, but please consider giving the other works in the series a read!
> 
> Onward!

Ozai knew Zuko hadn’t killed the Avatar. The boy never had it in him, no matter how he had changed over the years. Ozai could see it in his eyes. It was amusing to see Azula lie about it. 

He didn’t call his son to him until almost a week after he had returned home. It was better that way. To make the boy desperate. He had always wanted to please Ozai, thinking that it could earn him his father’s love.

The fire in front of Ozai burned brighter, casting his face into a shadow from where he sat on the throne. Zuko bowed in front of him, and Ozai found it oddly familiar.

“You have been away for a long time,” Ozai began, purely because it was true.

“I see the weight of your travels has changed you,” Ozai could see that plainly. Zuko was taller than when he had been here before banishment, and his hair was too short to be pulled properly into a topknot without small hairs being exempt. It must have been recently shorn. He carried himself differently, perhaps in a way that was older than he should have. He walked like he had tasted failure personally and paid for it.

“You have redeemed yourself, my son,” Though he had not. It was wise to keep the boy in the dark about matters such as that. 

Zuko raised his head, looking up in slight disbelief. The scar was thrown in stark light against the burning flames behind Ozai. It was huge and mangled the skin of his face. The skin seemed to have dripped down what was left of his cheek and healed there, leaving ridges and ruts in the boy’s cheek. His left ear was nothing but a mangled bit of skin, and his eye was narrowed to a slit. Absentmindedly, Ozai wondered if he could even hear or see anything out of that side. 

It was terrible in a way that made Ozai both proud of himself and disgusted in his son. Terrible in a morbidly beautiful sort of way.

“Welcome home,”

* * *

After a while, the stone and the ever present chill of imprisonment became tiring. 

Not being able to feel the sun was strange to Ozai. He had always been aware of his inner fire, all firebenders must be, even those as weak as his son. Though he had always been aware, he had never paid it special attention; it had always been a part of him, a part of him he didn’t notice until it was gone.

It was quiet without his inner fire crackling merrily away. He could almost imagine the noise now that it was absent. For a moment, it made him feel like it was still there. 

He passed the small stone from hand to hand. There was nothing better to do with his time, and it’s not like such a small pebble would help him escape. 

It was also cold without his inner fire. He had been feeling strangely empty since the child Avatar took his fire. No amount of differing logic he could apply in the many hours he had been here accounted for any other reason why he was cold now.

His fire was gone. It was quiet. It was cold. The sun would rise and set; he would not feel either. So he would live, so he would die.

Love was for fools, but Ozai had always loved his fire. 

The period of mourning had long passed when his foolish son visited him for a second time, nearly two years after he was imprisoned. He was used to the cold, but hated it nonetheless.

The first time his son had visited, it had been brief. Zuko had come in his new Fire Lord regalia that he thoroughly did not deserve, asking after his mother. That crown should have belonged to Ozai and Ozai alone. 

For all Ozai knew, Ursa had been dead for years. He had only banished the traitorous woman, but he had no clue where she had gone after that. Ozai hoped she was dead, or liked to think that. The fact that she could be living happily somewhere else turned his stomach in a way he was unaccustomed to.

When Zuko deemed it the right time to  _ grace Ozai with his presence _ , Ozai couldn’t do much about it. He longed to spit fire at the boy, burn the other side of his face, call lightning to kill him where he stood. Ozai could do none of that. All he could do was sit and bear the visit.

Zuko had brought tea this time. Ozai hoped he didn’t make a habit of it; both the tea and the visiting.

The two sat in silence while Zuko prepared the tea. Ozai could tell his son looked different, but didn’t bother noticing anything but the bags under his eyes, the pallor of his skin, and the gauntness of his face. All signs of a teenager in too deep. Ozai smiled while his son was busy with the tea.

When he had finished, Zuko stood and offered the cup through the prison bars.

“Tea?” Ozai glanced up at him, then looked back. Zuko held out the tea for a second longer before putting it on the cold stone floor. The tea steamed for a moment (heat Ozai would have been able to feel not two years ago), but the stone quickly leeched whatever warmth in the tea out. 

His son sipped his tea before speaking.

“I have repealed nearly all unjust laws you, Fire Lord Azulon, and Fire Lord Sozin decreed. The people are happy and thriving,”

And what of it? The people were pawns to be used in war. Nothing else.

“Nearly all the treaties needed to bring peace have been drafted. Trade routes to and from the Fire Nation are flourishing. Agreements to give the colonies back to the Earth Kingdom are being considered. Rebuilding is going well and I-”

“Why are you telling me this?” Ozai interrupted. 

Zuko’s one eye narrowed. His left eye didn’t do much of anything anymore. Ozai was still proud of the damage he inflicted.

“I am helping our people in a way you never did,” He said.

Ozai gave a laugh.

“You always were soft. Had to please everyone all the time, especially your  _ mother _ ,” he spat the last word out like it had offended him, “You were a terrible firebender and now a terrible Fire Lord,” Ozai snarled. “It should have been Azula to wear that crown. You’re in too deep,”

Ozai noticed with satisfaction that Zuko had flinched at his words. His soft son may be the Fire Lord, but Ozai held the true power here.

“I found Mother,” Zuko said, taking another sip of his tea. The small cup was shaking. Ozai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“I had hoped she died,” 

“Azula is getting help across the island. She’s doing better,” 

“She does not need help. She is superior to you in every way,” That elicited another flinch, but Zuko recovered quickly. 

“She had a psychotic breakdown,” he stated. Ozai simply waved his hand. He had Azula under his thumb. Her murderous rage would not have affected him so long as he simply pointed his daughter in the right direction. It had after all been her idea to burn the Earth Kingdom. Her cutting ruthlessness was a weapon perfectly honed for war.

“Do you even care? She’s your daughter!” 

“No,” Ozai answered simply.

Zuko’s tea was steaming. It had not been a moment before.

“Did you ever care?” Zuko’s voice was rising. Ozai turned to meet Zuko’s eyes for the first time.

“No,” Ozai answered, glaring down his nose at the boy. He got up from his seat and walked to the edge of the bars, looking down at his son. Zuko stood, stepping over the tea set. Ozai still had to look down to meet his son’s eyes.

“If not for your  _ dear friend  _ the Avatar, I would rule the world and you would be dead, foolish boy,” Ozai spat, “I should have killed you at birth. It would have saved me a lot of trouble,”

Zuko stared Ozai in the eye.

“If not for the Avatar, I would have killed you myself,” 

Ozai laughed.

“You’ve gotten brave, boy,”

Zuko stared him in the eye for a second longer before looking away. He stepped back from the bars and picked up the tea set, leaving Ozai’s cold cup in his cell. The boy straightened up.

“They told me I’m supposed to forgive myself and not forgive you,” Zuko said. Ozai held back a laugh. 

“I hope you rot,” the boy said, voice void of emotion, but the tea tray was shaking in his grasp. Ozai snarled as his son exited the cell.

He stood there for a moment, listening as the door locked behind Zuko and a guard peered into the cell. He looked down as the tea cup his son left. Painted dragons decorated the sides, weaving in and out of each other, spitting fire. 

He picked the tea cup, downed the cold concoction that barely tasted like tea, and walked back to his sleeping mat. He wished he could crush the cup under foot as some sort of metaphor, but his feet were bare. Throwing the cup against the wall would not have the same satisfaction. 

So instead he sat down and set the teacup next to him. 

He could not feel the sun, but it would sooner burn itself up before Zuko got the last word over Ozai. Zuko would be back, Ozai was sure. He examined the tea cup once more. He might throw it at Zuko, when he came back.

He knew his son, too loving for his own good. Zuko would be back. 

**Author's Note:**

> It's not my favorite tbh, but I think it wraps it up pretty well. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this work/series!!! It means a whole lot to me!
> 
> If you liked this one, please consider giving my other Avatar works a read too ;)


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